The Spanish Federation of Sports for People with Physical Disabilities (FEDDF) have published the list of the twelve players and the five staff that will represent Spain at the 2019 Women’s European Wheelchair Basketball Championship, which will take place in Rotterdam (Netherlands) between the 30th June – 7th July.
Following their highest finish at a World Championship in Hamburg last year, Spain have made only two changes to the team for the European competition. The two new additions are Judiht Núñez, who returns after debuting in the 2003 European Championship and being part of the 2017 European Championship team, and Andrea Santana, who will make her international major debut. They replace Almudena Montiel and Sira Moros.
The main objective for the Spanish team at the European Championship is to finish in the top four and qualify for the first time in its own right for a Paralympic Games. They previously competed in the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games as hosts where they finished eighth.
In the past 12 European Championships Spain have competed in, they have finished fourth once back in Wetzlar, Germany in 2007, and will need to match this to secure a ticket to Tokyo next year.
Spain’s Head Coach, Abraham Carrión, said:
“The girls have been working hard with the maximum enthusiasm. They have worked more than ever with the conviction of having the chance to finally reach what the women’s team deserves and what they have been fighting for for so many years, that is, to play in a Paralympic Games on their own merits.
“The team is very hopeful because the results of the last tournament have opened the doors to trust that we are on the right track, but we are aware that it will be very difficult because it has never been achieved and when it has never been achieved, it is always harder to achieve than something you are already used to.
“We know that right now our biggest enemies are going to be ourselves because of the nerves, the anxiety and the fear that we will not reach the goal and that it will escape from our hands when it is required. We are very humble, with many desires to do well and have good feelings and trusting that the only key is work, work and work.”
Team Roster
| Vest Number | Player Name | Classification | Age |
| 4 | Lourdes Ortega | 1.0 | 21 |
| 5 | Lucia Soria | 2.5 | 29 |
| 6 | Sonia Ruiz | 2.5 | 38 |
| 8 | Beatriz Zudaire | 3.0 | 19 |
| 9 | Sara Revuelta | 1.0 | 21 |
| 11 | Vicky Pérez | 4.0 | 31 |
| 12 | Judiht Núñez | 2.0 | 32 |
| 13 | Vicky Alonso | 4.0 | 36 |
| 14 | Andrea Santana | 2.0 | 18 |
| 44 | Michell Navarro | 4.0 | 26 |
| 51 | Agurtzane Egiluz | 3.0 | 22 |
| 86 | Veva Tapia | 4.5 | 33 |
Team Staff
Abraham Carrión – Head coach
David Benítez – Assistant coach
José Carlos Albadalejo – Physiotherapist
Álvaro González ‘Poly’ – Physiotherapist
Laura Guijarro – Team manager
The championship will act as the zonal qualification tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, and only the top four will qualify.
More information about the 2019 Women’s European Championship please visit the websites below:
http://www.competitions.iwbf-europe.org/index.php/ecwa-home-menu or http://basketballexperience.nl/ek2019/
Text courtesy of FEDDF and Photo credit: Christophe Dury
